cc: file, Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Diane Cluff, Maxine Shirts via mail.
"Yesterday morning, after a run/walk around the block, I edged the lawns. I recall how when Marti and I moved to Dallas in 1974, the facts behind the idea of everyone owning their own lawn edger, became the focus of my thinking about protyping to a new way to build cities. Over the years of my thinking about what has become Walden 3-D, there have been thousands of questions which have come out of my initial reaction to learning that every household on every street spends the money to own a lawn edger which is used for 1 or maybe 2 hours every other week.
A few days ago, there was a new full page advertisement in the newspaper, which reminded me of my musings about lawn edgers. It had the end of a banana peal with two eyes, and peeled so there were eight legs which looked like an octopus. Underneath the picture it said:
As I read this article, I thought about how this was simply an extension of the idea of sharing lawn edgers. The thing that caught my attention was the name: GroceryWorks. I recalled the Landmark meeting at the old office, at 333 Cyprus Run by Barker Cypress and Kingsland Boulevard, when a group of about 7 of us voted on names for Landmark's new software development framework. There was a group that had spun out of BP and who were promoting what become POSC (The PetroTechnical Open Software Corporation). We decided we needed to have `Open' in the name, and we agreed on the name `OpenWorks.' Lisa Chiranky, Landmark's Marketing Director, was the driver of this meeting. I had a hard time working with Lisa, because she was having an affair with the President of Landmark, Gene Ennis, and I was convinced in my mind their choices reflected on me and my reputation. They were a big factor in my decision to leave Landmark. I wanted to distance myself from their activities.
When I saw the word GroceryWorks my mind was filled with the emotions associated with perceived failure. OpenWorks has become such a common phrase in the oil industry that many do not remember when it wasn't around. One of the folks in that meeting later quit and went back to work for Compaq. A few years later Compaq came out with a major advertising inituitive titled CompaqWorks(TM). I wondered where the name came from. Then one of Compaq's major vendors came out with a market inituitve called MicroSoftWorks(TM). My mind then wandered to wondering about the origin of OpenSpirit, OpenSynergy, OpenFusion, OpenSynergy, OpenSource, OpenGIS, OpenSoftware, OpenViz, GeoViz, etc.
I recalled dozens trips I made through Salt Lake City to see Mom after she had her stroke. I recalled it became a habit to stop at Zion's Bookstore and visit with Sam Weller and his foster son. I recall telling him about HyperMedia, and recommending they index their bookstore in a HyperText fashion back in the late 1980's. I remember when I visited one time, and they had built an ad hoc solution based on our conversations, and they were not interested in talking to me about these ideas anymore. I recall watching how Amazon.com has taken off, based on an open implementation of this same, although independently developed idea. I wondered how ZeitsGeist (German for `the spirit of the times') works, and how ideas (disparity patterns) in one person's mind get transferred to other minds (telepathy). I wondered how many of these ideas really originate with God, actually raining down on humanity like celluar telephone radio signals, and are there waiting for our brains to pick up on them simply by tuning into the spirit.
I wondered if there are any truly original ideas which my mind has independently created and sent into the galatic void and which will actually have an impact on assisting in the organization of energy, time, space, matter, spirit, etc. I tried to remember the future and to see if there would be any original ideas created which justify my existence. I thought about the plans for a new type of city on Dad's farm, at Barker, Texas on Maudeen Mark's LH7 Ranch, on the Colorado River horseshoe bend by Columbus, Texas, or in Shirts' Canyon south of Cedar City.
I thought about how these cities were intended to be a network of minds, computers, and interactive hypermedia data bases. Where this multi-dimensional global network integrates information; simulating, demonstrating, and documenting potential outcomes and real-time dynamics of the human decision-making process. The resulting design process combining proven socially accepted urban-planning strategies with information management technologies of the present and the future. The end results documenting how humans `can live within the earth's available cosmic-energy savings account' (words borrowed from Buckminster Fuller).
I thought about how the planned end-product is the development of cost-effective and ecologically sound three-dimensional cities. How these prototypical 21st-century communities will provide the highest and best land use, jusxtaposing a large building mass with nature to benefit both, while maximizing utilization of finite resources. I remembered how the complexes will use state-of-the-art concepts in energy conservation, waste treatment and recycling. I thought about how living units will `plug' into an intelligent network providing residents with environmental control and encouraging information-based decision making. I recalled the idea of mail and groceries being delivered to an on-line pantry, sort of how banks deliver receipts and cash to cars. And to think all of this derives from sharing a lawn edger and is being implemented today with innovations like GroceryWorks.com. And the questions I asked myself include:
Sometimes I am much more reflective than others. This week has been one of those reflective weeks. Maybe it is because it is Mother's Day, and I have not made it out to see my Mom yet this year. Maybe it is because Andrea and I have our first wedding anniversary tomorrow. Maybe it is because we are trying to raise a second round of funding at Continuum. Maybe it is because I see the same problems at Continuum I saw at Landmark. Maybe it is because there is not enough money to do all of the things I want to do. Maybe it is because Rob and I spent an hour with Dr. Nancy White from PAIRS this week. Maybe it is because we had a Priesthood commeration event on Friday night. Maybe it is because I have never done anything about my insight concerning lawn edgers. Maybe it is because my mind has somehow retained ownership on the name OpenWorks, and see someone plagerizing it as GroceryWorks.com. Maybe this is simply an example of the mental calisthenics I go through when I feel out of control, in transition, or not sure what is next.
Monday was very quiet at work. The missionaries came over and showed us a video on temples for Family Home Evening. After the video, Matt told us how we don't spend much time together as a family, how we are each doing our own thing, and how we are not as close as we should be. Then he got us to play hide-and-go-seek. It was funny to see the missionaries hiding in closets and behind the bathroom door. Tuesday was the same at work. Rob and I went to visit with Nancy in the evening. On the way back I learned I have cut Roice off because I don't agree with his life style. My perception has been the opposite of this, namely that Roice isn't comfortable around me because of his lifestyle, and I have not tried to force myself into his life. Wednesday I learned Continuum did not get a $10 million commitment for funding, and it is still being studied. I had lunch with Rick Zimmerman and we talked about options. I have put together a plan for turning the Houston Theater into a research facility, and have started to bounce the idea off of several friends in the industry. My projection is it would take $2.5 million investment to make this a viable business over the next 5 years. Rick encouraged me to think about creating a weekly virtual NAPE (North American Prospect Expo). Chris Schmidt talked to the Venturing Crew about his career as a lawyer, and we tied this into the legal risk of building a house.
Thursday I went to Hillcroft and Richmond and met with a man who runs a medical training school. He reminded me of Uncle Glenn. Very articulate, bright, and talking about things he didn't know about as if they were facts. I left his office realizing how much of an ivory tower I live and think in and how far I am removed from the daily living of 95% of humanity. I received a phone call in the afternoon informing me I lost in my attempt to be elected Secretary of the Geophysical Society of Houston (0007.html, 0008.html, and 0018.html). When I was told the news, I said `GREAT!' I really did not want something else to worry about right now. Friday's Developer Meeting showed that once again we have slipped on delivery of CoReExplorer. We had several people in for demonstrations at 11:00. I took Phillip Miller to lunch, and we talked about his plan to reinvent himself. As I listened to his options, I thought of my options. I felt like there was some reason he came to talk to me which he was not saying. I left CoRe Exchange early to get Matt to the church for the Scout Activity. Then picked up Rob and we went and bought a fly rod, a fishing license, and some supplies. Then we went to the Priesthood Commeration at George Bush Park. I took my guitar, and played a song from my mission:
Saturday morning I told Andrea I would catch up with her. I didn't, because I am so out of shape. She walked back and met me at the entrance to Forest Green. I lied to myself, which was part of the conversation with Nancy on Tuesday evening. I guess this week's stuff all conspired to get me thinking as I edged the lawn Saturday morning. And so this is why you got a hodgepodge Thoughtlet. We went to two movies in the afternoon, both of which I recommend as worthwhile movies to see: Battlefield Earth (Andrea, Audrey, Matt, and I), which despite it's violence and intensity has a good message about the triumph of man; and U-571 (Rob, Andrea, and I), which reminds us of the sacrafices by those who guaranteed the freedom we tend to take for granted. The freedom to start up our own GroceryWorks.com."